NEWBERG, Ore.—Senior Jack Thomson had a huge day at the plate to help Lewis & Clark College baseball earn the series win over host George Fox University with a 5-4 win on Sunday afternoon. 

Thomson went 3-3 with two runs, two RBI, two intentional walks and his team-leading ninth homer of the season in the victory. 

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KEY MOMENTS

The Pioneers All-Conference third baseman played a key part in all three innings Lewis & Clark scored in, to help the visitors earn the series victory 2-1. 

Jack Savant (one run) and Zack Kon each went 2-4 in the victory. Riley Guieb and Mason Lee chipped in a hit and a run scored apiece. 

Freshman right-handed pitcher Casey Parsons earned his first collegiate win. He went seven innings and allowed eight hits, two walks, four runs (two earned) and struck out three. 

Brayden Nomura and Anthony Clerici each threw a scoreless inning of relief to close out the win. 

Bruins started Ben Wills took the loss after allowing eight hits and four runs (zero earned) in 3.2 innings pitched. 

Lewis & Clark led the entire way on Sunday. In the top of the first inning, Savant singled with one out, moved to third on a Thomson single and scored on a failed pickoff throw. With two on and two outs, Thomson stole third base and scampered home on an errant throw by the catcher. 

The Pioneers doubled their advantage in the second. Guieb opened the frame with a double and raced home on a Lee single. With runners at the corners and two outs, Thomson beat out an infield single to plate Lee and make it 4-0. 

George Fox scored three runs over their next two at-bats to cut the deficit to 4-3. The Bruins had a chance to do more damage in both innings, but Parsons stranded two runners on with one out in the second and the bases loaded in the third.  

Thomson added a huge insurance run in the seventh. With one out and no one, the senior blasted a home run over the right-field fence to push the Pioneers lead to 5-3. 

That run would become important because George Fox answered with a run of their own in the bottom of the seventh. Noah Meffert led off with a single and Brandon King followed with a double to put two runners in scoring position with no outs. Parsons struck out the next batter, before allowing a run-scoring groundout. With King standing on third base, Parsons retired Spencer Roos on a groundout to first to end the frame. 

George Fox loaded the bases in the bottom of the eighth against Nomura, only for the junior to induce a groundout to second to keep the 5-4 lead. 

In the ninth, Clerici allowed a two-out single but retired the final batter on a fly out to right to secure his fourth save of the season. 

DEEPER LOOK 

• With the win, the Pioneers (12-10) have matched the 2016 team (12-28) for their most wins in a single-season since 2016. The only team to have won more games since 2007 is the 2008 team, that finished 16-24. 
• With his home run, Thomson moved into a tie for seventh place in program history for home runs in a single-season (nine). He also sits tied for fifth in doubles for a single-season with 14. 
• Parsons has pitched deeper into the game in each of his first six collegiate pitching appearances. Sunday's outing was his longest career appearance (seven innings) and marked the second-fewest earned runs he's allowed in a start (two). 
• The Pioneers three pitchers stranded 12 Bruins baserunners. 
• Clerici is now one save away from tying the program record for saves in a single-season (five). 
• With the win, Lewis & Clark (6-7 NWC) sits in seventh place in the Northwest Conference standings. The Pioneers are in a dead statistical tie with sixth-place University of Puget Sound (7-8), a half-game back of fifth-place George Fox (6-6) and a game back of fourth-place Linfield College (5-4) who they play twice on Tuesday. 

LOOKING AHEAD 

Lewis & Clark will conclude their rained out three-game set against Linfield University from February 26 and 27. Linfield took game one (6-2) on February 26 and the second game was called in the bottom of the fourth inning with the Pioneers leading 8-4. The two teams will resume game two starting at 1 p.m. on Tuesday and then play the third and final conference game at 3 p.m.